Tetris: Video Game Lowers Addictive Behaviors

There's nothing quite like a game of Tetris to boost the gray matter in your brain (otherwise known as the substantia grisea, which is involved in muscle control and sensory perception like hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making and self-control.)

New findings published in the journal Addictive Behaviors reveal that playing Tetris could particularly be helpful in terms of self-control. 

Researchers at the University of Plymouth and Queensland University of Technology examined how playing the game for as little as three minutes at a time could lower cravings for food, drugs and such activities as over-sleeping and sex.

During the study, they collected data from over 30 undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 27. Study participants were promted seven times a day via text messages to report on any food cravings they had, as well as encouraged to report cravings proactively, independent of prompts. Lastly, 15 members of the group were required to play Tetris on an iPod for three minutes before reporting their craving levels again.

Cravings were recorded in 30 percent of occasions, most commonly for food and non-alcoholic drinks, which were reported on nearly two-thirds of those occasions.

Findings revealed that playing Tetris lowered overall craving strength from 70 to 56 percent.

"The impact of Tetris on craving was consistent across the week and on all craving types," said Professor Jon May of Plymouth University, in a news release. "People played the game 40 times on average but the effect did not seem to wear off. This finding is potentially important because an intervention that worked solely because it was novel and unusual would have diminishing benefits over time as participants became familiar with it."

The researchers noted how Tetris could potentially be used as a support tool to help some manage cravings throughout their daily lives.

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